yamaha keys

This quilt has been on and off the design wall for months!

After sewing 4 rows, I decided I was NOT a hexi girl . . . have you ever sewed hexi rows together?  not. fun.

Then I discovered this pattern:

believe it or not, adding the white strip in the middle is much easier than sewing hexies together.

I wanted to make it look like a piano key board

You have to turn it sideways to see the key board, like this:

Do you see the keys?  (my husband didn't either)  This quilt is for my niece who is extremely gifted on a piano.  I wish you could hear her, her fingers fly back and forth along the keyboard.

fabric is:

My favorite part is that little tease in the binding.

In the quilting process, I got lots of "swirl with a hook" practice.

and match stick practice. 

            Quilted on my HQ Sweet Sixteen.  Have I mentioned how much I love it?  

It's the perfect option for me.

No scraps were left behind, ha ha.

linked:

TGIF
confessions of a fabric addict

crazy mom quilts

  

Just in case your internal clock is wondering the dates of the next Bloggers Quilt Festival, here you go:

summer blanket tutorial

When you have a baby in Texas, most of the year they wear onesies, a t-shirt or just a diaper.  A quilt becomes a "decor" item.  So, I've decided to incorporate a "light summer blanket" into my baby gift repertoire.

This blanket is large enough to put on a baby when it is in it's carrier and needs a light covering.  The soft back is perfect as your child moves into the toddler phase and wants something slinky to sleep with.  It's "satin-backed flannel" from the big box sewing store.

This one measures 21 x 26 inches,  the goldfish blanket measures 21 1/2 inches square.  I make them 2 at a time, it's just as easy that way.

INSTRUCTIONS:

You will need 1/2 to 3/4 of a yard of 2 fabrics.  Fabric A needs to be a cute print.  Fabric B is satin-backed flannel.

Fabric A - Cut the width of fabric by 27 inches (or  your preferred length).  Press your fabric.  Then, fold in half, selvage to selvage, creating a fresh fold, cut new squared edges.  Cut in 1/2, along the fold, creating 2 equal pieces.

Fabric B - Lay satin-backed flannel down on your cutting mat, satin side up.  Lay one of your Fabric A's down, right side down.  I like to pin heavily (every 3 to 4 inches) at this point all the way around before cutting, because the slinkiness creates movement (headaches).  

Sew 1/4 of an inch all the way around your front and back pieces, leaving a 5 inch opening.  

Turn right side out, pull out your corners and press edges flat.  Fold opening and press.  

 Press your blanket nice and square like before top stitching edge.

Sew all the way around the edge of blanket just inside the edge.  DONE!  

I broke into my Heather Ross for these projects.





Changing topics . . .


A recent project I need to document is another plus quilt.  You can see the other pink plus quilts here and here.  (notice the contrast between those quilts and this one with the quilting thread color choice)

 This one is different because I quilted it with this yummy variegated orange and pink thread





I'm reporting on an experiment.  I wondered what this pink and orange plus quilt with white negative would look like quilted in the pink/orange varigated thread.

I've always quilted in the thread color of the back ground fabric, so don't tell the "quilt thread police", but here's what it looks like when you use a colored thread against the white.  I think I like it.  

 

linked:

freshly pieced